Daily History Lessons II (Day 2, Late Morning)

[Usagi Tomoe]

((Like last time, everyone can assume they were present at the beginning of the lesson! It makes it easier for me to just post things right away!))

"Minna-sama," the Hare spoke up, as she had the previous day. "I am Usagi Tomoe, historian of the Hare Clan. Yesterday, I shared the historical accounts of the Battle of Stolen Graves, the Battle of Bloody Retreat and the Battle of Sleeping River. A dark time in the history of the Empire, but as we learned at the Dawn of the Empire, dark times are when the lights of heroes can shine the brightest to lead to victory for good and honorable samurai."

"Allow me to share the history of one such hero who stood against the forces of Iuchiban - a man who would rise from the rank of ronin to Champion of his own clan, and finally in death, as a Fortune of Heroes."

"Reichin was known as a ronin in the area of Ryoko Owari Toshi, also known as the City of Lies, the City of Stories, the City of Green Walls. He was well-regarded by the inhabitants of the city, for he was always aware of what was happening in this city and he often gave his assistance to the keepers of the law. Even as a man with no lord, he had many followers - other ronin who saw him as a leader."

"In the year 750, Reichin was the first to spot the army of Iuchiban marching towards the city of Ryoko Owari. He ran swiftly to the city officers and informed them of the approaching danger, and they trusted his word for he had always been on their side before. As the city was evacuated, Reichin and his followers picked up their swords and fought alongside the Scorpion to hold off the enemy as long as possible, until those who could not fight had fled to safety."

"Reichin did not stop fighting there, and he led his followers to join up with the Scorpion on the frontlines in the Baddle of Bloody Retreat, where they along with the Scorpion forces fought for five days straight to delay the enemy army long enough for the other clans to mobilize."

"Reichin and those left of his men joined in the fray at the Battle of Sleeping River, distinguishing themselves on the battlefield in the eyes of the Emerald Champion as the forces of the Empire claimed victory over the evil sorcerer."

"However, the city of Ryoko Owari was still held by one of the Bloodspeaker's lieutenants, the infamous Jama Suru. The call went out for someone to undertake an impossible mission; to sabotage Jama Suru's defenses. Reichin was the first and only one to step forward, and not wishing to see anymore of those men who were loyal to him, he went into the enemy-held city of Ryoko Owari on his own. For several weeks, he dislodged Suru's defenses, using his advantage of knowing the layout of the city well, gaining more time for the Empire's forces to regroup after the Battle of Sleeping River and prepare themselves for a siege. At last the combined armies of the Great Clans attacked and the ensuing battle for Ryoko Owari Toshi lasted for seven days until they finally drove out the last remains of Suru's forces. In the battle, an escaping enemy fired an arrow meant for the commander of the allied forces, but Reichin swiftly leapt in its path, nearly losing his life for his heroic efforts to save another."

"For his instrumental part in the war, as well as heroic efforts, the Son of Heaven bestowed Reichin with the Usagi Family name and the status of Champion of his own Minor Clan. It would forever be his Clan's duty to be vigilant against dangers such as that posed by the Bloodspeaker and his minions."

"Usagi Reichin continued on to be a great and charismatic leader to his people, and he always fought against injustice where he saw it. The lands of the Hare, which lie near the Shinomen Mori, often ran into conflict with a group of criminals known as the Forest Killers, and Usagi Reichin along with a platoon of Lion, decided it was time to end their threat. In the year 755, together with the Lion, he created a plan to bait the Forest Killers into attacking Shiro Usagi. The plan was successful and the Forest Killers engaged with the Lion forces outside Shiro Usagi - who successfully repelled the enemy to drive them back. After a long day of fighting, the Forest Killers retreated into the forest, hoping to find reprieve from the battle, only to be met by Usagi Reichin and two dozen of the Hare's strongest warriors waiting for them in their hidden camp. The exhausted and wounded Forest Killers were caught off guard and only a few managed to escape the slaughter that awaited them. However, one of the Forest Killers managed before their death to strike Usagi Reichin fatally with an arrow - a barbed arrow with wicked hooks, poisoned. While he fought off death for a month, even the body of a great hero gave in in the end, and he passed away."

"The Son of Heaven, in his divine wisdom, acknowledged all the great efforts and heroic deeds of Usagi Reichin in the year 757, Month of the Tiger, and elevated his spirit to Tengoku, to become the Fortune of Heroes."

Tomoe bowed at the conclusion of today's history.

[Seppun Hideo]

Tomoe had gained a new member to her audience; an Imperial who listened to the story with a neutral expression.

She still speaks of such things so openly Hideo thought to himself as he watched the girl, a historian, sharing her clans history. Not interrupting, or disturbing her. Just playing the quiet respectful audience for the moment.

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

A Unicorn sat in on the lesson, paying attention to the Usagi's story of the heroic Hare. He had no problem with the subject matter and seemed to enjoy the telling quite a bit. It was far less animated than most Unicorn storytellers were during their tellings but he was there to learn about history first and be entertained second so that didn't bother him so much. When she finished he bowed to her, "Thank you for the lesson Usagi Tomoe-san. It was enlightening and appreciated."

[Usagi Tomoe]

Tomoe bowed once more at the Shinjo's words. She had tried to be more... narrative... in her presentation after her talk with Hanashi, though she knew she had a long way to go before she would try to weave entertaining stories.

"Thank you, Shinjo-sama. I'm glad to see that it is appriciated by the returned Unicorn... and it was my honor to tell of my clan's founding and our greatest hero."

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"I'm glad to have had the chance to hear it's telling. So you help you clan with watching out for these threats then? That seems like an incredibly important duty." He nods approvingly.

[Usagi Tomoe]

"I do," she gave a slow nod, "though I'm no warrior myself, I have been trained to be aware of such dangers. Most of my duty within the clan is to record our history, and as a healer in training."

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"Sounds like you have the more important job then," he says with a smirk. "If one can't figure out where to fight then a warrior really can't do anything."

[Usagi Tomoe]

She smiled a little proudly at that. "Thank you." Hah! Much better than those two stupid Moto!

"Since I'm no warrior myself, it's my hope that I might be able to bring one home who is brave enough to take on such duties," Tomoe chuckled a little. "That is, if I can impress enough here. Your clan seems to value physical prowess rather highly, so I don't think I'm doing so well to start with..."

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"I think you'll find most or our number would be quite willing to take on such duties. We tend to either have the heart and compassion to want to protect and care for others or the will and drive to defeat any enemy that our duty places before us. I know I'd be proud to have such an important duty."

He smiles at her. "We value a lot of different things, not just physical prowess. I'm sure you'll be able to find ways to impress the judges here. Especially with openly and willingly sharing lessons on the Empire's history like this."

[Usagi Tomoe]

Oooh, you'd be proud to have such a duty, eh? I'll have to remember that!

The Hare smiled in return. "I hope it is appriciated... I'm still unsure how your Moto-cousins felt about my presentation yesterday, but Shinjo Hanashi-sama seemed very appriciative of my initative last evening when we spoke at the feast. I just hope I will have the chance to listen to him tell one of his stories about your clan's travels."

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"Well, the Moto tend to be on the will and drive side of things. They're almost always ready and willing for a fight. Pride in their warrior traditions and history pushes them to prove themselves. They tend to be less concerned about why they do things and focused on how to achieve their goals. It makes them some of the most capable and focused warriors in our clan. While it sometimes can make them difficult to work with, I can appreciate that kind of forthright honesty."

[Usagi Tomoe]

Tomoe chuckled. It made some sense, absolutely. "And what of the Shinjo? How do they fit into your theory of 'will and drive, or heart and compassion'?"

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"I'd say many of us tend towards our founder's sense of compassion, wanting to protect the people of our clan and empire, and willing to fight for that. I don't know where I'm going to end up after all of this, but I do hope it will be in a role that sees me doing so. But not all can be simply categorized in any family or clan. Everyone is an individual and you can find compassionate sensetive Moto as well as hardened and willful Shinjo."

[Usagi Tomoe]

She nodded in response to his reply, seemingly approving of it. "You seem to have a very noble spirit, Shinjo-sama. I'm afraid our tales of Lady Shinjo have not really expanded much while the Unicorn were gone, as we could only know of her deeds before the Ki-rin left for their travels... but she was always remembered in our stories and histories as a paragon of compassion and courage. I'm glad to see that it has not changed in her followers."

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"It's important to stay true to one's roots. Just as I'm certain the Hare are to the heroism of their founder," he says with a nod. "Lady Shinjo is an inspiration to us all, as have been the champions of the Unicorn through the years. Our current champion is a poignant reminder of that and gives us pride in her strength in both spirit, mind and body."